9 things that affirm Wambora is a political ‘witch’

Embu Governor Martin Wambora during a past event. [CREDIT/Facebook/Martin Wambora]Embu Governor Martin Wambora on Wednesday got a reprieve after the Supreme Court upheld his win in the August 2017 general elections.

By MKN Reporter.

The Supreme Court judges, in their ruling, noted that the petition filed by Wambora’s arch-rival Lenny Kivuti lacked merit that could amount to the nullification of Wambora’s August 8, 2017 gubernatorial victory.

“No basis upon which to interfere with the Court of Appeal decision,” the judges were quoted as saying.

This latest turn of events affirms the assertion among many Kenyans that Wambora has nine lives like those of the proverbial cat. And indeed this is not an idle talk without basis as we briefly outline below.

1. On August 2018, Wambora’s survived after Court of Appeal overturned a High Court decision that had nullified his 2017 election. The Court of Appeal pointed that the junior court had errored in law before overturning the win of the governor.

2. 2013: The 35 members of Embu County Assembly impeached Wambora on an array of accusations that raged from misappropriation of funds to flounting of tender rules.

3. Feb 2014: The Senate impeaches Wambora after an 11-member Senate committee formed to investigate him found him culpable of the accusations made by the county assembly.

4. April 2014: The High Court sitting in Keruguya reinstates Wambora declaring that the ouster was ‘null and void’, with the Judge observing that ‘had the Senate investigated Wambora’s case, it would discover it was done in violation of the court order in the County Assembly’.

5. April 28, 2014: Embu County Assembly passses another impeachment motion on Wambora over alleged financial impropriety, abuse of office among other accusations.

6. May 2014: The Senate agrees with the county assembly and impeaches Wambora for the second term.

7. Dec 2015: The Court of Appeal nullifies Wambora’s impeachment arguing that there was no enough evidence that Wambora acted in gross violation of the Constitution to warrant his impeachment.

8. April 2017: Wambora defies all odds to win the Jubilee Party primaries against the party’s preferred candidate who was then outgoing Runyenjes MP Cecily Mbarire by 60,634 votes to her 43,509.

9. August 2017: Wambora would again surprisingly win the Embu gubernatorial seat for a second term trouncing his bitter rival Lenny Kivuti whom up to then was the area Senator. Kivuti was running on a Jubilee-aligned party, Maendeleo Chap Chap.

We all know how things have unfolded since then up to today (January 30, 2019) when the Supreme Court affirmed that Wambora will serve as Embu Governor till the end of his second term on August 8, 2022.